Suture anchors are widely used in surgical procedures to provide a fixture on or within a bone for attaching sutures or soft tissue segments, such as tendons, thereto. Typical suture anchors have a threaded or barbed distal end which is adapted for penetration into, and relatively secure engagement in, a bone, and an eyelet or other receptacle at a proximal end for passage of a suture or soft tissue segment therethrough.
In many applications, it is useful to be able to install a suture anchor in a bone and then thread a suture through the eyelet of the installed anchor. However, this is difficult to accomplish because of the relatively small size of the suture anchor and the eyelet through which the suture must pass, the fineness and limpness of the suture material, and the confined surgical space at the site of installation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,534,011 to Greene, Jr. et al. discloses a method and apparatus for threading a suture through the exposed eyelet of a suture anchor after the anchor is installed in a bone. In the Greene, Jr. et al. method, a suture anchor is provided with a portion of a suture-engaging implement pre-installed in the eyelet of the anchor. The suture anchor with the pre-installed suture-engaging implement is driven into a bone so as to leave the eyelet and suture-engaging implement exposed. A suture is then engaged with the suture-engaging implement, which is then pulled through the eyelet to thread the suture through the eyelet. The suture-engaging implement is then disengaged from the suture.
The suture engaging implement of Greene, Jr. et al. is preferably either a thin, flexible tube of a biocompatible material with a flared end for receiving a suture therein, or a loop of a flexible, biocompatible wire. The loop or wire is attached at its ends to a metal knob or gripping member.
The Greene, Jr. et al. method and apparatus present some difficulties in threading the suture anchor after it has been installed in a bone. For example, the metal knob or gripping member is relatively small and thus does not facilitate the grasping and manipulation of the suture engaging implement. In addition, the suture-engaging implement and the attached gripping member do not necessarily fit closely together or otherwise facilitate handling and control of the suture anchor and the suture threading components.